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2013!
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Jegan
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Monday, December 31, 2012
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Happy New Year! We’re all starting the year with a clean slate, so forget those niggling little problems you’ve been dwelling on, get rid of that old baggage you’ve been carrying around, and concentrate on the good things in your life. I hope that 2013 holds much love, happiness, and good health for you and yours.
Till the next time, I will leave you with the quite below:
Another fresh new year is here . . . Another year to live! To banish worry, doubt, and fear, To love and laugh and give! This bright new year is given me To live each day with zest . . . To daily grow and try to be My highest and my best! I have the opportunity Once more to right some wrongs, To pray for peace, to plant a tree, And sing more joyful songs! - William Arthur Ward
Happy New Year! We’re all starting the year with a clean slate, so forget those niggling little problems you’ve been dwelling on, get rid of that old baggage you’ve been carrying around, and concentrate on the good things in your life. I hope that 2013 holds much love, happiness, and good health for you and yours.
Till the next time, I will leave you with the quite below:
Another fresh new year is here . . . Another year to live! To banish worry, doubt, and fear, To love and laugh and give! This bright new year is given me To live each day with zest . . . To daily grow and try to be My highest and my best! I have the opportunity Once more to right some wrongs, To pray for peace, to plant a tree, And sing more joyful songs! - William Arthur Ward
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Top 5
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Jegan
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Thursday, December 27, 2012
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My quick list on my Samsung Galaxy Note II now tops with ARR’s music, after a while I must say. Well, it is not an exaggeration if I say that Nejukulle from Kadal is the new silence in my life. My ears are filled with just that and nothing else, except when I have to meet the obligations of mankind, you know, like listening to them when they talk. Sakthi Shree Gopalan does a very neat job.
Haricharan follows up his astounding rendition in Aiyaiyaiyo aanandhame (Kumki) with a blow-the-rafters-off vocal performance. Mr. D Imman's orchestra is very grand. It is quite different yet classical.
Ennodu Vaa Vaa is followed that sustains the long lasting interest for this playlist altogether. This song is absolutely groovy carrying a slight funky touch in the charanams, beautifully sung by Karthik. Absolute stunner this song is, however reminds me too much of Nilavu Paatu from Kannukkul Nilavu. How I miss Hariharan!
D Imman returns to do a solo rendition of Onnum Puriyala, and pulls it off beautifully. The orchestration is equally brilliant here, taking on a Illayaraja-esque quality in places (particularly felt that with the usage of chorus in the second interlude) and the first few picks on guitar.
The last song of this top five closes with Vennilave. Though the typical slow song to relax your mood by Harris. The delayed flute intrudes makes it quite interesting to continue listening. Hariharan and Bombay Jeyashree's renditions wins it into the top 5.
Haricharan follows up his astounding rendition in Aiyaiyaiyo aanandhame (Kumki) with a blow-the-rafters-off vocal performance. Mr. D Imman's orchestra is very grand. It is quite different yet classical.
Ennodu Vaa Vaa is followed that sustains the long lasting interest for this playlist altogether. This song is absolutely groovy carrying a slight funky touch in the charanams, beautifully sung by Karthik. Absolute stunner this song is, however reminds me too much of Nilavu Paatu from Kannukkul Nilavu. How I miss Hariharan!
D Imman returns to do a solo rendition of Onnum Puriyala, and pulls it off beautifully. The orchestration is equally brilliant here, taking on a Illayaraja-esque quality in places (particularly felt that with the usage of chorus in the second interlude) and the first few picks on guitar.
The last song of this top five closes with Vennilave. Though the typical slow song to relax your mood by Harris. The delayed flute intrudes makes it quite interesting to continue listening. Hariharan and Bombay Jeyashree's renditions wins it into the top 5.
Still Smart and Sexy!!!
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Jegan
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Sunday, December 16, 2012
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I turn 32 in today and I am making 32 seem sooooo damn young. So cheers to a sexy Birthday!
Wow - seriously? Where did the time go? I am so embarrassed that I have neglected my blog so much! No worries! Today I have some for you - Today I'm turning 32 it added one more year of experience to my life =)
I was just recalling the things changed in past one year and I learned few valuable things which will help me forever! I can really sense the changes as I'm growing .. changes around me, in me, my mindset, my outlook, everything changing =)
So, I really am 32!!!! It's true. Let's talk about that for a second.
What is so wrong with getting older? What is so wrong with aging with grace? Why do we fight SO HARD against gaining a number? I've been guilty of that. I think I was just whining a few weeks ago about not wanting to turn 32. But, why?
I've been thinking a lot about this lately. For myself, I know the answer. Somewhere in my head, I've decided that 32 means you are officially matured a grown up. Not that I'm against being an adult, but I've been scared of personal expectations that I've put on myself... which is silly. I love where I am in life. I love my family, I love my friends, I love my pooches, I love my job, I love my blog, I love so many things about my life, why in the world would I want to make myself feel bad about the handful of things I have not yet accomplished? So silly.
I will never stop at 31. I will never lie about my number. I will wear it proudly, embrace who I am, and be the best young guy I can be.
My plan for the day: I want to be free of thoughts and tensions on just this one day.! Nothing on my mind...absolutely nothing.
Wow - seriously? Where did the time go? I am so embarrassed that I have neglected my blog so much! No worries! Today I have some for you - Today I'm turning 32 it added one more year of experience to my life =)
I was just recalling the things changed in past one year and I learned few valuable things which will help me forever! I can really sense the changes as I'm growing .. changes around me, in me, my mindset, my outlook, everything changing =)
So, I really am 32!!!! It's true. Let's talk about that for a second.
What is so wrong with getting older? What is so wrong with aging with grace? Why do we fight SO HARD against gaining a number? I've been guilty of that. I think I was just whining a few weeks ago about not wanting to turn 32. But, why?
I've been thinking a lot about this lately. For myself, I know the answer. Somewhere in my head, I've decided that 32 means you are officially matured a grown up. Not that I'm against being an adult, but I've been scared of personal expectations that I've put on myself... which is silly. I love where I am in life. I love my family, I love my friends, I love my pooches, I love my job, I love my blog, I love so many things about my life, why in the world would I want to make myself feel bad about the handful of things I have not yet accomplished? So silly.
I will never stop at 31. I will never lie about my number. I will wear it proudly, embrace who I am, and be the best young guy I can be.
My plan for the day: I want to be free of thoughts and tensions on just this one day.! Nothing on my mind...absolutely nothing.
Jefferson's America
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Jegan
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Friday, December 14, 2012
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The last speech Brad Pitt hit a nerve with me here it is....He is watching Obama give his speech when he 1st got in.
Barack Obama (on TV): ...to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one..
Driver: You hear that line? Line's for you.
Jackie Cogan: Don't make me laugh. One people. It's a myth created by Thomas Jefferson.
Driver: Oh, so now you're going to have a go at Jefferson, huh?
Jackie Cogan: My friend, Thomas Jefferson is an American saint because he wrote the words 'All men are created equal', words he clearly didn't believe since he allowed his own children to live in slavery. He's a rich white snob who's sick of paying taxes to the Brits. So, yeah, he writes some lovely words and aroused the rabble and they went and died for those words while he sat back and drank his wine and f***** his slave girl. This guy wants to tell me we're living in a community? Don't make me laugh. I'm living in America, and in America you're on your own. America's not a country. It's just a business. Now ******' pay me.
I think he is bang on with that...it is all a con, thoughts?
Barack Obama (on TV): ...to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one..
Driver: You hear that line? Line's for you.
Jackie Cogan: Don't make me laugh. One people. It's a myth created by Thomas Jefferson.
Driver: Oh, so now you're going to have a go at Jefferson, huh?
Jackie Cogan: My friend, Thomas Jefferson is an American saint because he wrote the words 'All men are created equal', words he clearly didn't believe since he allowed his own children to live in slavery. He's a rich white snob who's sick of paying taxes to the Brits. So, yeah, he writes some lovely words and aroused the rabble and they went and died for those words while he sat back and drank his wine and f***** his slave girl. This guy wants to tell me we're living in a community? Don't make me laugh. I'm living in America, and in America you're on your own. America's not a country. It's just a business. Now ******' pay me.
I think he is bang on with that...it is all a con, thoughts?
Life of Pi
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Jegan
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Tuesday, December 4, 2012
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The book was called un-filmable not only because of the technical challenges but because the way the story plays out; there are large portions where nothing significant happens and how do you keep expressing what a boy is feeling. However, master filmmaker, Ang Lee brought it alive on the big screen and in a way one couldn’t imagine. Life of Pi is not only visually stunning but is a deeply moving film that despite all the technical wizardry is far from the usual holiday blockbusters.
For those not aware of the story, Life of Pi is about a 13-year old Indian boy, Piscine Molitor Patel aka Pi, from Pondicherry (now Puducherry) who is born a Hindu but is also Muslim and Christian. He believes in God and sees a kind soul in everyone… even wild animals. He loses his family in a ship-wreck and finds himself in a lifeboat with some cargo from his father’s zoo – a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena and a tiger (Richard Parker). The rest of the story is about his amazing journey, survival and faith in God.
Life of Pi is full of questions that the movie does not seek to answer. While we might want a filmmaker to plant a flag, point to a path, Ang Lee gets the viewer to do the soul searching. Ravishingly gorgeous visuals are embedded in an electrifying saga that tests human endurance and is anchored in bonding with other forms of life. This bonding that occurs at the level of the soul (Pi believes animals have souls you can connect with), and if one does not believe in soul, than the bonding that occurs through the senses. When Richard Parker walks off unceremoniously into the jungle, towards the end, Pi laments, “All of life is an act of letting go, but what hurts is not taking a moment to say goodbye.”
This is a story about life, in every one of its forms, real and imaginary, and life can hardly ever exist, without the presence of other life. In Pi’s journey, the ocean sparkles. This is a story of transformation where a child becomes a man, first dealing with fear, then thirst, then hunger, threats from a hyena, then a fierce will to survive, loosing his rations in yet another deadly storm, unpredictability of the ocean, his face-off with the tiger and then his acceptance of the companion on board. In the end, he sums it up, “my fear of him kept me alert and tending to his needs gave me purpose”.
Indeed, why must we believe that reality is limited, when we have not experienced all of reality and from all the perspectives? Perhaps the senses are heightened or the reality is different at a certain altitude or in the middle of the night the ocean sparkles with phosphorescence, in an unimaginable way. After all, our experience with life is at such an infinitely small scale anyway.
Michael Danna’s background score is beautiful and reminds you a bit about his earlier Indian outings like Monsoon Wedding and Water. Among the actors, Suraj Sharma as Pi has done a fine job for a debutant and shows great promise as an actor. Tabu as Pi’s mother is as graceful as ever but I wish she had a few more scenes. Like her, other actors including GĂ©rard Depardieu, Adil Hussain, Rafe Spall and Irrfan Khan have small roles but all just right. The real star of the film however is Richard Parker, the computer generated tiger. He is so real, so majestic and so beautiful; like Pi, you develop a bond with him and feel disappointed with his indifference. I absolutely loved the movie and encourage everyone to see it at least once!
For those not aware of the story, Life of Pi is about a 13-year old Indian boy, Piscine Molitor Patel aka Pi, from Pondicherry (now Puducherry) who is born a Hindu but is also Muslim and Christian. He believes in God and sees a kind soul in everyone… even wild animals. He loses his family in a ship-wreck and finds himself in a lifeboat with some cargo from his father’s zoo – a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena and a tiger (Richard Parker). The rest of the story is about his amazing journey, survival and faith in God.
Life of Pi is full of questions that the movie does not seek to answer. While we might want a filmmaker to plant a flag, point to a path, Ang Lee gets the viewer to do the soul searching. Ravishingly gorgeous visuals are embedded in an electrifying saga that tests human endurance and is anchored in bonding with other forms of life. This bonding that occurs at the level of the soul (Pi believes animals have souls you can connect with), and if one does not believe in soul, than the bonding that occurs through the senses. When Richard Parker walks off unceremoniously into the jungle, towards the end, Pi laments, “All of life is an act of letting go, but what hurts is not taking a moment to say goodbye.”
This is a story about life, in every one of its forms, real and imaginary, and life can hardly ever exist, without the presence of other life. In Pi’s journey, the ocean sparkles. This is a story of transformation where a child becomes a man, first dealing with fear, then thirst, then hunger, threats from a hyena, then a fierce will to survive, loosing his rations in yet another deadly storm, unpredictability of the ocean, his face-off with the tiger and then his acceptance of the companion on board. In the end, he sums it up, “my fear of him kept me alert and tending to his needs gave me purpose”.
Indeed, why must we believe that reality is limited, when we have not experienced all of reality and from all the perspectives? Perhaps the senses are heightened or the reality is different at a certain altitude or in the middle of the night the ocean sparkles with phosphorescence, in an unimaginable way. After all, our experience with life is at such an infinitely small scale anyway.
Michael Danna’s background score is beautiful and reminds you a bit about his earlier Indian outings like Monsoon Wedding and Water. Among the actors, Suraj Sharma as Pi has done a fine job for a debutant and shows great promise as an actor. Tabu as Pi’s mother is as graceful as ever but I wish she had a few more scenes. Like her, other actors including GĂ©rard Depardieu, Adil Hussain, Rafe Spall and Irrfan Khan have small roles but all just right. The real star of the film however is Richard Parker, the computer generated tiger. He is so real, so majestic and so beautiful; like Pi, you develop a bond with him and feel disappointed with his indifference. I absolutely loved the movie and encourage everyone to see it at least once!
Is it Diwali???
Posted by
Jegan
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Monday, November 12, 2012
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Deepa Aavali... literally a beautiful array of lamps!
Oh yes, I am very much alive and so is my blog….
Firstly, I would like to thank all the people who kept on asking about my blog even when I offered no new posts…. Your views and suggestions always motivate me to write more….
Now, since Diwali is round the corner… I am taking this opportunity to wish each and every one, a very happy, safe and prosperous Deepavali/Diwali/Diwalu...
""
On this auspicious day, may the glow of joys, prosperity and happiness alluminate your days in the years ahead!!
Ungal Vaalkayil Thunbangal Ellam Karaindhu Poga, Olimayamaana Ethirkaalam Pirakka, Indha Deepawali Thirunaalil En Iniya Vaalthukkal!
Roshan Ho Deepak Sara Jag Jagmagaye, Zindagi Ki Shuruvat Pyar Se Hoti Hai, Pyar Ki Shuruvat Apno Se Hoti Hai Aur Apno Ki Shuruvat Aapse Hoti Hai!!
Mee Inta Velagaali Dewalu Kaantulu Mee Pedavula Pai Viriyaali Chirunavvulu Mee Chenta Vundaali Dhana Kanaka Raasulu Meeku Andistunnaanu Diwalu Subhaakaankshalu!!
""
Diwali is the festival of lights! Well, this used to be the standard first line in my every “My favorite festival” essay. I am not sure how but, the whole feel of the festival has changed over the years for me.
As a child, Diwali used to be celebrated with lots of fun. I used to meet my nephews & cousins, visit friends house, burst fire crackers and enjoy amazing home made food! It used to start with my mother waking me, my sister and my brother at 5 am, massaging our body with oil and bathing us. Then after getting blessings from our parents and grandparents we would relish all the sweets prepared. I and all my friends would burst crackers in the community, decorate (my Mom) the entrances with colorful rangolis and diyas and ENJOY the whole day. Somehow, a lot of this has changed over the years.
I, no longer, burst crackers (due to where I reside these days I guess) visits to relatives and visits from relatives became fewer mostly due to us all departing in separate ways, thus, affecting the gala-time we used to share. Instead these days, I end up in front of my television for most parts of the day. The 5 am oil bath has been procrastinated to an 8 am shampoo bath. The practice of buying and wearing new clothes has been compromised. The gifts have reduced. The amount of sweets that used to be made has decreased to NONE. There is no rangoli in the entrance. Diwali seems to have lost its spark.
I don’t know if you share the same observation as mine but, for me, the festival of lights has become glum over the years. The tag of ‘festival’ stays but the grandeur seems lost.
Is it all because we have grown up? Our families have increasingly become nuclear? Our social circles have reduced? Longings have deteriorated?
No, I don’t know the answers. And moreover, everyone’s reasons would defer. Some people’s Diwali must have never changed.
Nevertheless, to end this post on a happy note… I would urge everyone to stay happy this Diwali. If you are going through the same, make an honest effort to bring back at the least something about Diwali that you truly miss. And don’t forget to make the people around you happy, because that’s the true essence of a festival!
Oh yes, I am very much alive and so is my blog….
Firstly, I would like to thank all the people who kept on asking about my blog even when I offered no new posts…. Your views and suggestions always motivate me to write more….
Now, since Diwali is round the corner… I am taking this opportunity to wish each and every one, a very happy, safe and prosperous Deepavali/Diwali/Diwalu...
""
On this auspicious day, may the glow of joys, prosperity and happiness alluminate your days in the years ahead!!
Ungal Vaalkayil Thunbangal Ellam Karaindhu Poga, Olimayamaana Ethirkaalam Pirakka, Indha Deepawali Thirunaalil En Iniya Vaalthukkal!
Roshan Ho Deepak Sara Jag Jagmagaye, Zindagi Ki Shuruvat Pyar Se Hoti Hai, Pyar Ki Shuruvat Apno Se Hoti Hai Aur Apno Ki Shuruvat Aapse Hoti Hai!!
Mee Inta Velagaali Dewalu Kaantulu Mee Pedavula Pai Viriyaali Chirunavvulu Mee Chenta Vundaali Dhana Kanaka Raasulu Meeku Andistunnaanu Diwalu Subhaakaankshalu!!
""
Diwali is the festival of lights! Well, this used to be the standard first line in my every “My favorite festival” essay. I am not sure how but, the whole feel of the festival has changed over the years for me.
As a child, Diwali used to be celebrated with lots of fun. I used to meet my nephews & cousins, visit friends house, burst fire crackers and enjoy amazing home made food! It used to start with my mother waking me, my sister and my brother at 5 am, massaging our body with oil and bathing us. Then after getting blessings from our parents and grandparents we would relish all the sweets prepared. I and all my friends would burst crackers in the community, decorate (my Mom) the entrances with colorful rangolis and diyas and ENJOY the whole day. Somehow, a lot of this has changed over the years.
I, no longer, burst crackers (due to where I reside these days I guess) visits to relatives and visits from relatives became fewer mostly due to us all departing in separate ways, thus, affecting the gala-time we used to share. Instead these days, I end up in front of my television for most parts of the day. The 5 am oil bath has been procrastinated to an 8 am shampoo bath. The practice of buying and wearing new clothes has been compromised. The gifts have reduced. The amount of sweets that used to be made has decreased to NONE. There is no rangoli in the entrance. Diwali seems to have lost its spark.
I don’t know if you share the same observation as mine but, for me, the festival of lights has become glum over the years. The tag of ‘festival’ stays but the grandeur seems lost.
Is it all because we have grown up? Our families have increasingly become nuclear? Our social circles have reduced? Longings have deteriorated?
No, I don’t know the answers. And moreover, everyone’s reasons would defer. Some people’s Diwali must have never changed.
Nevertheless, to end this post on a happy note… I would urge everyone to stay happy this Diwali. If you are going through the same, make an honest effort to bring back at the least something about Diwali that you truly miss. And don’t forget to make the people around you happy, because that’s the true essence of a festival!










